The paths of charity lead Azad Moopen to massive success. Born in the village of Kalpakanchery in Malappuram district of Kerala, Azad Moopen is an Indian healthcare entrepreneur, a doctor and a philanthropist. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, a health conglomerate that operates in India and Middle East states.
He was born as the son of Ahmed Unni Moopen who was a freedom fighter in India during 1940s. Ahamed Moopen was also a philanthropist who built a local hospital, school and post office in his hometown. Young Azad Moopen was inspired by his father and learnt how to make decisions from him. Azad being the youngest of five brothers and two sisters, his father was particular about him reading newspapers, excelling in mathematics and mastering entrepreneurship. Even though Ahamed Moopen passed away when Azad Moopen was just 15 years old, he went ahead to becoming a doctor to fulfil his father’s wishes.
Azad Moopen graduated with a Gold Medal in MBBS and MD in General Medicine from Calicut Medical College, Kerala. He further did Diploma in chest disease from Delhi University. He was also a student leader during his college days.
After his studies, he joined Calicut Medical College as a medical lecturer in 1982 and continued till 1987 when he moved to Dubai. His aim of going to Dubai was to make enough money for renovation of a mosque in his hometown. He started his own small clinic in a two bed-room apartment. With no intentions to settle in the UAE he came back when he reached his aim to collect enough money. But, the West Asian magic had caught him and he felt something missing when he came back.
His friend convinced him to move to move back to Dubai. Azad Moopen in a few interviews said that his friend threw him a googly in cricketing terms. Azad first thought his friend was trying to distance him, but his friend proved to be an angel who made the turning point in his life.
Moopen continued to treat patients along with a gynaecologist. He used to work from eight in the morning till mid-night. As a few patients could not afford to pay for the treatment, he gave free consultations for half a day every Tuesday. As the clinic began to get crowded, they moved the clinic to a three-bedroom apartment and also hired two paediatricians.
In 1988, he started building up business in healthcare facility. With passing days, the number of clinics and pharmacies grew. Currently Aster DM operates 353 establishments that include 22 hospitals, 113 clinics and 219 pharmacies spread across India, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As part of the Aster DM’s 30th anniversary, Azad Moopen launched the Aster Volunteers programme. The program seeks to bridge the gap between people who would like to help with those in need.
Azad Moopen said that success in business lies in finding challenges and meeting them head on. He always valued his staff and doctors and said they are the reasons for his success. He has received many awards and honours. He was listed 6th in the ‘Top 100 Indian Business Leaders in UAE’ by Forbes. He was also honored with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the Gulf Indian Leadership Summit in 2018. He was also awarded Padma Shri Award and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by the Government of India. He also received the ‘Visionary CEO of the Year Award’ in recognition of his contribution at the CEO Middle East Awards by Arabian Business in 2019.
Azad Moopen sees his duty and responsibility to help others. He has pledges 20% of his wealth to charity. He have initiated many corporate social responsibility programs. non-profit activities like free pediatric and cardiac sugery programs, health awareness programs, subsidies for advanced surgical treatments for underprivileged people, village adoptions and local empowerment programme for women and children, etc in Gulf countries, India, Afghanistan, Africa and Philippines. He is also actively involved in actively involved in setting up educational establishments in Saudi Arabia, India and the UAE in mounding future generations.
Azad Moopen’s story is not just inspirational but also emotional. He made challenges into opportunities and gave back to the society.
